Gravestones
Gravestone Activity
This gravestone is located at the River Street Cemetery in Woodstock, Vermont.
Who is buried at this gravestone?George Hart
When did he die?February 26, 1917
How old was he?80 years old
When was he born?1837
What other information does the gravestone tell you?He was a member of Company G of the 54th Massachusetts
Look up the 54th Massachusetts in Google. What was it?It was the first black regiment from the North during the Civil War
Do you think this soldier died in battle? Why or Why not? He didn’t die in battle because he lived until 1917.
CREATING CONTEXT
Go to (Vermont’s Civil War Soldiers system).
Click on “Search for a Soldier”
Enter Hart, George.
When did he muster in and out of the war?He mustered in on 1/22/64 and mustered out on 8/20/65.
Now that you know EXACTLY when he was in the war, go to (the National Park Service’s Soldiers and Sailors system) to read about the battles he was involved in. Click on the battles of Oulestee and Honey Hill.
Where did George Hart fight during the Civil War?The battle of Oulestee was in Florida and the battle of Honey Hill was in Georgia.
Both were Confederate victories.
Both were Confederate victories.
ASKING QUESTIONS
What questions do you have about George Hart and where might you learn more about him?
Who was his family? What happened to him after the war?Go to the cemetery to see if his family is buried near him or go to the census to learn about who was in his household and what he did for a living after the war.
Why did he fight? Read Men of Color to Arms, by James Fuller. There you would find out that George Hart was an ex-slave from Louisiana who had been brought to Vermont by a Civil War captain. Perhaps because he was a slave, he wanted to join the war to end slavery.